We think that even the Trojans would be impressed with the Casa Troyana, a wood-clad home with some tricks up its sleeve (don't worry, they're the good kind). Located in Hawthorne, Melbourne, Australia, the boldly cantilevered box is actually a home extension that perches over a tidily-manicured backyard. Designed by Australian firm Jackson Clements Burrows, the rather unusual home makes use of natural ventilation and a system of wooden louvers to keep sunlight out, cutting down energy costs when the weather heats up.

Jackson Clements Burrows designed the home for a young family with three kids who needed some more space in their traditional abode. The analogy linking the house to a Trojan Horse is both literal and figurative: the wooden elements of the home and the horse head-like overhang are reminiscent of the fabled gift, while the structure also conceals a surprise (perhaps the couple’s rambunctious youngsters?).

“This alterations and additions project is about a house that engages with childhood in a playful way, that reconciles the programmatic requirements of a growing family with an unexpected sculptural response,” explains JCB. “The client liked the notion of a Trojan house as a metaphor for the chaos of family life that occurred inside before the children were unleashed in the back garden on the unsuspecting residents of the neighbouring flats, trying to enjoy their Sunday morning sleep-in.”

To keep the space cool during the warmer months, JCB incorporated a corridor and thermal chimney for natural ventilation. The upstairs level also has operable wooden shutters with a simple dot-pattern that allow the occupants to control the amount of daylight that enters their rooms, keeping them cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.